As outlined in the news
release [made today by company executives in Washington, D.C., during ABC’s Legislative
Week] the goal is to enable construction professionals to work
smarter by harnessing the power of the digital era to help increase
productivity, reduce redundancy and eliminate waste.

OK being based in the UK who may or may not be part of the European Union in a week or so there, does not appear to be any real substance to the press release as far as I can see unless they are offering substantial discounts to ABC Members.

Tuesday, 14 June 2016

On first view you think this is kind of interesting that Autodesk want to do this bearing in mind their history with regards the amount of legal fees they have spent trying to keep the dwg format to themselves. Don't want to be so friendly and open about that one do they.Then the penny drops, of course IFC is basically similar as the DXF format, i.e. a way to exchange data, that keep the native software format out of competitors hands, so the only question is why are they only doing this now? The users wanted this a few years ago.The About Autodesk below should read Autodesk sell software to make shareholders profit and basically the staff are fantastic and would like to give the users what they need, however the company business objectives get in the way and stops that happening.I'm still waiting for NanoCAD to create NanoBIM or someone similar to create better cheaper 3D modelling and BIM tool as the cost of the current software is excessive to say the lease. A more open IFC format makes that possibility.

SAN FRANCISCO
and SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 14, 2016 --
Autodesk,
Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) and Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) have entered into an interoperability agreement
aimed at saving customers time and reducing project costs typically associated
with workflow inefficiency across different suppliers’ technologies. This will
benefit architects, engineers and contractors, and importantly, project owners
by enabling more freedom to optimize technology workflows needed to meet the
complex requirements of today’s construction projects.

Autodesk and Trimble have a shared goal of meeting the
evolving needs of the building and infrastructure industries. Reliable, fluent
exchange of information among multiple stakeholders and platforms is essential
to this end. The Trimble and Autodesk collaboration demonstrates their ongoing
commitment to support open industry standards such as Industry Foundation
Classes (IFC) and Construction
Operations Building Information Exchange
(COBie), and can enable current and prospective Autodesk and Trimble customers
working on the same projects to work together seamlessly through optimized file
compatibility across applications.

Under the terms of agreement, Autodesk and Trimble will take
steps to accelerate interoperability by exchanging Application Programming
Interfaces (APIs) and developer tools to build and market interoperable
products. This allows the two companies to improve upon existing data exchanges,
as well as open up new workflows between their products. Tighter
product-to-product integration can enable design and construction professionals
to share models, project files and other data between select Autodesk and
Trimble solutions both in the office and the field, and allow for the reuse of
information during design and construction throughout all phases of the
project.

“The strength of a company is best measured
by its willingness to do what is right for its customers and the industry at
large. This interoperability agreement, like others we’ve signed, speaks to
Autodesk’s commitment to openness,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president,
Autodesk. “This
collaboration with Trimble speaks to our shared dedication to making the
building process more efficient and productive for all involved.”

“This collaboration demonstrates our mutual commitment to
provide design and construction professionals with a seamless experience from
both Autodesk and Trimble design-build-operate solutions,” said Bryn Fosburgh, vice president at Trimble. “As a result all stakeholders across the construction lifecycle can
optimize their workflow efficiency.”

About Autodesk

Autodesk makes software for people who make things. If
you’ve ever driven a high-performance car, admired a towering skyscraper, used
a smartphone, or watched a great film, chances are you’ve experienced what
millions of Autodesk customers are doing with our software. Autodesk gives you
the power to make anything. For more information visit autodesk.com or follow @autodesk.

About Trimble

Trimble
is transforming the way the world works by delivering products and services
that connect the physical and digital worlds. Core technologies in positioning,
modeling, connectivity and data analytics enable customers to improve
productivity, quality, safety and sustainability. From purpose built products
to enterprise lifecycle solutions, Trimble software, hardware and services are
transforming a broad range of industries such as agriculture, construction,
geospatial and transportation and logistics. For more information about Trimble
(NASDAQ:TRMB), visit:www.trimble.com.

Autodesk is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc. Trimble is a
registered trademark of Trimble Navigation Limited.

Wednesday, 10 February 2016

I've been a little light on posts on the Learning Curve due to a healthy amount of projects awaiting my attention and the rebuilding of the LRUGLondon Revit User Group new web site.I had lined up someone from Autodesk to present at LRUG in March, but it appears he will no longer be working for them as a result of the Autodesk 10% reduction in staff. "As we progress through our business model transition, we continue to take a comprehensive look at our company to see where we can be more effective and efficient. To realize maximum value for both our customers and shareholders, and as a follow-on to previously discussed cost reduction actions, we are restructuring so we can focus resources on areas that will accelerate the move to the cloud and transition to a subscription-based business," said CEO Carl Bass.